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Atmosphere and Ayurveda

It’s strange how the weather has such a powerful effect on our moods. As much as I truly believe that we are in control of how we feel, sometimes it is a battle with external elements like deadlines, relationships, how comfortable we feel where we are, who we are with, and just the general atmosphere. It’s hard to stay positive when you’re swamped at work, surrounded by negative people, or in a place with toxic energy (library during finals week, anyone?), but I find it even more difficult to fight the weather.

Of course there are diagnoses like Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I think it goes deeper than that. I was reading this article about how different people are affected by the weather, and it classifies people into four types- those people who are unaffected by the weather or seasons, people who love summer, people who hate summer and people who love rain. I think this is a bit of an oversimplification, but I do agree that different types of people react differently to different types of weather. Obviously it has something to do with personality, but I also think it has to do with prakruti and vikruti. Prakruti and vikruti are Ayurvedic terms for your body’s constitution (long term and short term, respectively), or doshas (The Ayurvedic Institute has some great resources if you’re interested in learning more).

I am vata-pitta, slightly more pitta in the summer and more vata in the winter. I find that the wind (air, an element of vata) energizes me in the winter but makes me a bit dozy in the summer. Warmth and fire (pitta) give me energy in the summer but make me want curl up in bed when it’s cold outside.

It can be difficult to pick yourself up when it’s clammy and cold, but if you know your body type and personality, it can be done. Ayurvedic teachings tell us which flavors will complement our prakruti and vikruti (basically which foods suit your body type), and I think that on days when you may not be feeling your best it’s particularly important to eat well. When I’m tending towards pitta in the summer, I do sometimes crave ice cream despite being nearly entirely vegan. When it’s cold and I’m feeling more vata I go for cooked vegetables and beans. This is also true on a day-to-day basis- knowing your body type and which foods complement it can make a huge difference in your mood- sort of like eating comfort food, but in a healthy way.

Of course, simply realising that the weather is causing you to feel a certain way is often a good first step. It can be very easy to focus on negative thoughts while you’re sitting watching raindrops trickle down the window, or to forget about all of your problems while you’re laying in the sunshine. If you acknowledge that you’re in a certain mindset largely because of the weather, it becomes a lot easier to change your perspective.